![image in article What is a CDA and why is it important for Texas providers?](/source/siblings-together-playing-with-toys_1398-3964.jpg)
Early childhood education is a critical foundation for a child's development and future success. In Texas, as in many other states, the quality of care and education provided to young children is of paramount importance. This is where the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential comes into play. It is a certification that signifies the expertise, abilities, and dedication of professionals in the field of early childhood education. In this article, we will explore what a CDA credential is and why it holds particular significance for Texas providers.
What is the CDA Credential?
The CDA credential is not just another certificate to hang on the wall; it represents a significant milestone in the journey of #early-childhood-educators. It is a performance-based qualification that assesses an individual's capability to fulfill the responsibilities of an early childhood educator effectively. To acquire this esteemed credential, candidates must meet several criteria:
- Purchase a CDA Competency Standards book: This book serves as a guide, outlining the competency standards that candidates must meet to earn the CDA.
- Complete 120 hours of training: These hours cover the eight CDA Subject Areas, ensuring that candidates receive comprehensive education in various aspects of early childhood development and education.
- Work 480 hours with children: Candidates must gain practical experience by working with children whose ages correspond to the setting for which they are applying for their CDA Credential.
- Prepare a CDA Professional Portfolio: This portfolio is a culmination of the candidate's learning journey, showcasing their experiences, strengths, and reflective insights.
- Select a Professional Development Specialist: A specialist is chosen to guide and assess the candidate throughout the CDA application process.
- Apply online for the CDA Credential: Using the YourCouncil online application system, candidates can submit their application for the CDA.
Once the CDA application is approved, candidates can schedule their CDA Verification Visit and CDA Exam. Successfully completing these steps demonstrates the candidate's readiness to be a recognized early childhood educator.
Why is the CDA Important for Texas Providers?
The CDA credential carries a significant weight for early childhood educators in Texas. It serves as a validation of their dedication and competence in providing high-quality care and education to young children. Here's why the CDA is crucial for Texas providers:
- Professional Recognition: The CDA credential is a professional recognition that can set educators apart in the field. It signifies that an individual possesses not only the necessary knowledge but also the practical skills and commitment to excel as an early childhood educator.
- Career Advancement: Earning a CDA can open doors for career advancement. Many early childhood education programs and employers prefer or require their staff to hold this credential. It can lead to better job opportunities, increased responsibilities, and potentially higher salaries.
- Equivalency for Preservice Training: In Texas, the Health and Human Services (HHS) has a requirement for childcare providers who are licensed to care for 13 or more children. They must either hold a CDA credential or an equivalent credential. The CDA credential is recognized as an equivalent, which means that if you have a CDA credential, you do not need to complete additional preservice training.
In conclusion, the CDA credential is not just a piece of paper; it is a testament to an educator's commitment to the well-being and development of young children. In Texas, where early childhood education is a significant focus, the CDA plays a pivotal role in ensuring that the state's youngest learners receive the highest quality care and education. It's a pathway to recognition, career growth, and a brighter future for both educators and the children they serve.
Courses & Classes related to Texas
Online Trainings
- 1,2,3, Eyes on Me: Classroom Safety
- 16 Hour Texas Pre-Service
- 1-Hour Abuse and Neglect Training
- 24 Hour Texas Pre-Service
- 24-Hour Texas Teacher Annual ONLINE
- 30 hour Texas Director Annual ONLINE
- 45-Hour Coaching and Mentoring
- 45 hour Growth and Development Birth-age 12 ONLINE
- 8 Hour Texas Pre-service
- 9 Hour Communication Course
- A Better Space for All
- Abuse and Neglect: Signs and Reporting
- Access for All: Inclusion and the ADA
- ACEs and Resilience in Child Care
- A Closer Look into Developmental Theories
- Admin as Mentors in Early Education
- Administering Basic Health and Safety ONLINE
- Administration of Medicine
- A Great Place for Education Includes All ONLINE
- A Guide to Effective Communication
- Allergies and Medication in Childcare
- Anxiety: Signs & Strategies
- Appropriate Precautions in Transportation of Children
- A Thoughtful Approach to Children's Mental Health
- Autism Awareness in Child Care
- A Watchful Eye: Supervision in Early Childhood
- Baby Play: Planning Infant and Toddler Activities
- Baby Steps to Milestones ONLINE
- Balance Act: Teacher & Child ONLINE
- Balancing Act: Record Keeping & Supervision
- Balancing Act: Schedules and Routines
- Basics 101: Coaching & Mentoring
- Behind the Scenes: Baby Routines ONLINE
- Be Loud, No Bullying Allowed
- Brain Building
- Brain Injury Awareness in Young Children
- Bridging Intent and Response: Communication
- Brighter Futures: Social Emotional Development
- Building and Physical Premises Safety
- Business Planning: Family Child Care
- CDA #1: Health & Safety
- CDA #7: Observe & Assess
- CDA #8: Child Development/Learning
- CDA: A Closer Look at Assessments
- CDA: Approaches to Learning
- CDA: Communication: Keep It Simple
- CDA: Creating the Outdoor Classroom
- CDA: Curriculum Alignment & Materials
- CDA: Essential Tools for Record Keeping
- CDA Family Child Care Credential with Portfolio Review
- CDA Family Child Care Renewal
- CDA Home Visitor Credential Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 1 Part 1 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 1 Part 2 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 1 Part 3 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 2 Part 1 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 2 Part 2 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 2 Part 3 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 3 Part 1 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 3 Part 2 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 3 Part 3 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 4 Part 1 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 4 Part 2 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 4 Part 3 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 5 Part 1 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 5 Part 2 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 5 Part 3 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 6 Part 1 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 6 Part 2 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 6 Part 3 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 7 Part 1 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 7 Part 2 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 7 Part 3 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 8 Part 1 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 8 Part 2 Birth to 5
- CDA Home Visitor Subject Area 8 Part 3 Birth to 5
- CDA Infants/Toddlers: Abuse and Neglect Reporting Requisites
- CDA Infants/Toddlers: Benefits to Observing
- CDA Infants/Toddlers: Brain Development and Gene Expression
- CDA Infants/Toddlers: Classroom Setup
- CDA Infants/Toddlers: Health and Safety
- CDA Infants/Toddlers: Importance of Consistent Care
- CDA Infants/Toddlers: Individualized Learning and Inclusion
- CDA Infants/Toddlers: Lesson Planning Made Easy
- CDA Infants/Toddlers: Smart Nutrition & Feeding
- CDA Infants/Toddlers: Stages of Development
- CDA Infant/Toddler Credential with Portfolio Review
- CDA Infant/Toddler: Parent Relationships
- CDA Infant/Toddler Renewal
- CDA Introduction
- CDA Preschool Credential with Portfolio Review
- CDA Preschool Renewal
- CDA: Special Needs: Understanding the Whole Child
- CDA: Stand With Respect and Professionalism
- Character Development for Childcare Professionals
- Chef's in the Classroom
- Child Care Administration
- Childcare Management
- Child Care Orientation
- Childhood Obesity
- Children at the Wheel ONLINE
- Children's Keepers: Building Childhood Resilience
- Classroom Arrangement: The Second Teacher
- Classroom Designers ONLINE
- Classroom Management is Collaboration!
- Classroom Positivity
- Classroom Setup for Child Care
- Classroom Tools for Emergent Literacy
- Coaching and Mentoring Techniques
- Coaching/Mentoring DEI
- Collaboration for the Win
- Communication in Coaching and Mentoring
- Community and Family Engagement in Childcare
- Community Partnerships
- Conduct Disorders in Early Childhood
- Confidentiality Is a Must!
- Coordinating with Community in Child Care
- Creating an Emergency and Disaster Preparedness Plan
- Creating the Natural Outdoor Classroom
- Cultures in the Classroom
- Curriculum Planning
- DAP for Family Child Care
- DAP for Preschool
- Day 2 Day: Provider Responsibilities
- Designing Your School-Age Classroom ONLINE
- Developing a Successful Workshop
- Developing Program Tranquility
- Developmental Screening in Early Childhood
- Diverse Perspectives in Child Care
- Early Childhood Education
- Early Childhood Program Administration
- Early Learning with Infants and Toddlers
- ECE Programs Through History
- Effective Coaching & Mentoring in ECE
- Elijah's Law: Allergy Awareness Training
- Emergency and Disaster Preparedness- Online
- Emergent Learning & Development
- Engaging Indoor Activities for Inclement Weather
- Engaging Parents in the Montessori Toddler Classroom
- Enhancing Life and Development
- Enriching Education: Field Trips
- Evaluating Performance
- Expect the Unexpected: Infants and Toddlers
- Family (or Parent) Conferencing: Developing Trust ONLINE
- FAS in Early Childhood
- Food Preparation and Nutrition
- Fragile X Syndrome in Young Children
- Getting on the Right Path to Teaching
- Going Head-to-Head with Challenging Behavior
- Grow with Me: Child Development for Mixed Ages
- Guiding School-Aged Children
- Handling and Storage of Hazardous Materials
- Healing Young Hearts: Stress and Grief
- Health and Nutrition
- Health and Safety Orientation
- Health & Safety Requirements for Childcare Providers
- Healthy Habits from the Start
- Heart-to-Heart Communication: Challenging Behaviors
- Hemophilia in Young Children
- Hidden in Plain Sight: Depression in Young Children
- How Preschoolers Develop
- How To Keep A Healthy Class for Infants/Toddlers
- How To Keep A Healthy Class: Six Tips for Germ Control
- How to Manage Chronic Illness with Infants/Toddlers
- Identifying ADHD in Child Care
- IEPs and IFSPs in Family Child Care
- Illness, Medication, and Allergies in Child Care
- Implementing the Montessori Curriculum
- Inclusive Lessons for Preschoolers
- Inclusive Montessori: Supporting Diverse Learners in the Classroom
- Individual Needs & IEPs for School Age
- Injury Prevention: Their Safety Is In Your Hands
- Intentional Safety for Infants/Toddlers
- Introduction to Coaching & Mentoring
- Intro to Cerebral Palsy
- Intro to Montessori: Philosophy, Principles, and Practices
- It's All About the Timing
- Keeping Them Safe: Infants & Toddlers
- Key Elements of an After School Age Program ONLINE
- Lesson Planning for Preschoolers
- Lesson Planning to Meet School Age Needs
- Let’s Talk: Effective Communication
- Letter & Number Planning in Child Care
- Mandated Reporters
- Mastering Observation Techniques in the Montessori Classroom
- Matchmaking for Mentors
- Meaningful Lesson Planning for Infants/Toddlers
- Meeting Adult Learners' Needs
- Mental Health in Early Childhood
- Mentoring Professional Etiquette in Child Care
- Milestones: By Leaps & Bounds
- Mind's Medicine: Music in Early Childhood
- Montessori Assistant Training
- Montessori Essentials: Mixed-Age Mastery
- Montessori in Context: Decoding Educational Theories
- Montessori Unveiled: Demystifying the Method for Parents
- More than One Way to Look at it: Types of Early Childhood Education Programs
- Moving About the Classroom: Effective Transitions for Everyday
- Mysteries of Challenging Behavior Solved
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Child Care
- No Such Thing as Boring Math
- Observations And Goal Setting in Childcare
- Observing & Assessing in Child Care
- On My Plate: Children's Nutrition
- Open Ears: Listening in Child Care
- Open Heart, Open Art
- Opportunity for Growth: Emotional Development
- Ouch! Biting & Hitting Hurts
- Pillars of Health and Safety in Child Care
- Playful Spaces for Infants & Toddlers
- Playing with a Purpose: Infant/Toddler Lesson Planning
- Play, Learn, Grow Online Version
- Play Safe, Think Big: Literacy Through Play
- Positive Attention: Infants and Toddlers
- Positive Attention: Interactions & Supervision of Infants & Toddlers
- Potty Training Made Simple
- Power of Art: Bldg Self-Esteem & Positive Behavior for ALL Abilities ONLINE
- Preschool Assessments & Observations
- Preventative Health and Safety
- Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases
- Prevention of and Response to Allergic Reactions
- Prevention of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Use of Safe Sleep Practices
- Professional Integrity in Child Care
- Professional Partnerships & Practices
- Project-Based Learning for Children
- Raising Peaceful Learners: The Montessori Advantage
- Resources: Building Blocks to Excellence
- Responding to Emergencies
- Roadmapping Preschool Curriculum
- Role of Play in Learning
- Rooted in History: Early Childhood
- Safe Sleep Training
- Self-Regulation & Change: Helping Children Cope
- Shaken Baby Syndrome
- Shifting Gears to Respect
- Shoo, Germs! Don't Bother Me!
- SIDS: Saving Babies: A Change of Position, A Change in Tradition
- SMART Goals in Coaching & Mentoring
- Solutions NOT Punishments
- Spaces that Support Discovery
- Special Babies
- Special Needs: From Referral to Inclusion
- Spicing Up the Classroom: Learning Centers
- Staff Supervision, Observation & Feedback
- Stay Alert! Steps to Emergency Prep Online Version
- Staying Positive: Guidance for Preschoolers
- Strength in Differences: Cultural Diversity
- Student Success: Expectations & Independence
- Success in Safety for Babies
- Super Special School Agers ONLINE
- Supervision with Intent for Admin
- Supporting Breastfeeding Practices In Child Care
- Supporting Children's Independence
- Supporting Children with Hearing Loss
- Supporting Little Hearts: Divorce and Separation in the Child Care Setting
- Supporting School Age Development ONLINE
- Supporting Skill Development: Children with Special Needs
- Supporting Social Learning: Creating Classrooms that Care
- Tailoring Instruction to Children's Needs
- Teacher/Child Interactions in the School-Age Classroom
- Teacher Mentoring in ECE
- Teacher & Me Playtime
- Teachers, Assemble! Building Up Staff in Child Care
- Teach with Respect ONLINE
- Technology as a Classroom Tool
- Texas Director Credential
- Texas Director Credential Renewal
- Texas Primary Caregiver Qualification
- Texas Teacher 24 hours Annual Renewal 2nd Year
- The Balancing Act for Administrators: Managing Responsibilities
- The Best Promotion is Play
- The Ethical Code of Child Care
- The First Year: Feeding Infants
- The Foundations of Coaching & Mentoring
- The Montessori Assistant's Toolkit
- Theories on How I Grow
- Theory of Learning
- Theory of Mentoring and Coaching in Early Childhood
- The Prepared Environment: Montessori Class Design
- The Right Kind of Influence for Young Children
- The Super Hero in Us All
- Toddlers and Theories
- Tomorrow's Einsteins: Infant and Toddler Science
- Training Guide for Families from Diverse Language and Cultural Backgrounds
- Transportation Safety
- Typical & Atypical Development in ECE
- Understanding Developmental Disabilities
- Understanding Montessori's Approach to Child Development
- Understanding Print Knowledge in Preschool
- Understanding the Coach's Role
- Universal Language of Coaching & Mentoring
- Using AI Language Models for Trainers
- Using Toys to Support Learning
- Viewing Guidance in a Positive Light
- Watch Me Grow: School Age Development ONLINE
- Ways to Serve: Leadership
- Working Together: Teachers & Preschoolers
- Working With Mixed Age Groups
- Writing Training Goals & Objectives
- Writing Workshop Proposals & Assessments
- You're Not My Friend Anymore: Learning Conflict Resolution
In-person/blended trainings